I know it's just a mark on the calendar but a new year always comes with such promise and a much needed burst of motivation for me.

If I find my positivity waning towards the end of the year, I know that come January 1st, that little boost I've been looking for will finally find me.

There's plenty I need to work on in the new year both personally and creatively. There is much I would love to accomplish and with this fresh expanse of days laid out before me, I'm hopeful I can achieve what I set out to do.

I just wanted to take this time to wish you a Happy New Year and send you luck and good wishes for whatever journeys await you in the coming months.

Yesterday I decided to watch the first Christmasy thing I could find on Netflix that I hadn't previously seen and you know what? It cold have been worse.

Holiday Engagement is a 2011 romantic comedy and it's basically the seasonal version of the Debra Messing film, The Wedding Date. Nothing groundbreaking. Nothing Original. Pretty Corny. But still pretty sweet.

The movie follows a struggling writer, Hilary (Bonnie Somerville) who has just been dumped by her fiance days before he was due to meet her demanding mother (Shelley Long) over Thanksgiving weekend. And as any rational person would do (?) she decides to hire an actor (Jordan Bridges) to play her now fictitious future husband.

I think you are all capable of predicting how the rest of the story pans out.

So, like I said, nothing amazing but I have certainly seen worse romcoms and seasonal films alike so if you're stuck for something to watch and you're in the mood for some fluff, this is a possibility.

Christmas with the Kranks (2004) is a first time watch for me this year and I'm honestly not too sure that it won't be the last.

Christmas with the Kranks stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Tim Allen as parents facing their first Christmas with their daughter not at home. They soon decide to skip Christmas this year and instead go on a curse, much to the upset of their crazy community of neighbors.

The entire thing is pretty over the top and not as much fun as I think it could have been.

Most plot points are highly predictable and not all that interesting in the first place.

I'm a fan of Jamie Lee Curtis and while she is quite sweet and funny in the film, it just wasn't enough to save it.

Not terrible enough to turn it off during the first viewing but not good enough to watch again anytime soon.

Yesterday we talked about Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas, which I love. Today we're talking about Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas, which I'm less about.

Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas (2004) follows the same concept as the first installment, featuring multiple holiday themed cartoons starring some of the classic Disney characters but this time the animation was computer generated.

The CG animation is probably my main problem with this sequel. I'm not a big fan of seeing these beloved characters in a new and not particularly effective (in this case) light but I will admit that the animation isn't all bad, it is just mainly against my personal preference.

My second biggest complaint is the storyline of the first short starring Minnie and Daisy. Daisy is completely horrible, jealous and spiteful towards Minnie and Minnie, to some extent, retaliates.

The story just felt untrue to these characters previously established dynamics and even though they make it up in the end and choose friendship over their petty rivalry, it didn't feel like the best lesson to be teaching kids. Yes, forgiveness is great but toxic friendships are not.

The other stories in the feature are less problematic for me although I'm a bit over the storyline of Max being perpetually embarrassed by Goofy. It's been done before and done better but in general Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas is pretty cute but I would skip it in favour of the first Christmas special any day.

If you follow along with this blog, you'll know I'm consistently wary of animated films that aren't by or associated with Disney.

More often than not, I find the animation quality lacking and the tone falling flat for my personal tastes.

Arthur Christmas (2011) was made by Aardman Animation in collaboration with Sony. I had heard good things but only got around to seeing it for the first time last week and let me tell you, I'm in love.

Arthur Christmas is by no means perfect, but it comes impressively close.

The story follows Arthur, the 20 something son of the current Santa Claus, as he struggles on Christmas Eve to deliver an almost forgotten present to a little girl in England.

The characters in this are truly wonderful thanks, in no small part, to the wonderful voice casting.

Jim Broadbent, Hugh Laurie, James McAvoy, Bill Nighy, Laura Linney and Michael Palin are among the excellently utilised cast and they do a brilliant job of bringing the beautiful animations well and truly to life.

Will Ferrell is great, but the comedy in his movies is sometimes a little broad for my tastes but one of his movies that I can definitely get behind is Elf.

This 2003 offering has become something of a Christmas classic over the past 13 years and it's not hard to see why.

Ferrell plays Buddy, a human raised in The North Pole by Elves and he does it with warmth, charm and sincerity, not to mention a healthy dose of goofiness.

The films main plot follows Buddy learning his origins and getting to know his estranged workaholic father who until Buddy showed up in his office dressed in his green elf outfit, didn't even know he existed.

There's a whole bunch of spending of disbelief happening in this movie but being a children's Christmas film, that's to be expected.

What wasn't necessarily to be expected was the amount of believable heart that Elf offers. The emotions, while sometimes overblown, are rooted in reality. This movie gets you in the feels and fills you with the holiday spirit more than once, that's for sure.

If you've been wary to watch Elf, I would give it a try. If Buddy can't make you smile at least once, your case of the bah-humbugs is too extreme for me to deal with.

Hey guys, long time no blog. I've decided to ease back into the swing of things and since It's December, I thought we would talk about a different Christmas movie every day until the 24th and then bring you all new content in the new year.

The first movie we're going to talk about is a must watch December movie for me and the first I got around to this holiday season and that is, Home Alone (1990).

Strangely enough, Home Alone wasn't a movie I really watched as a kid. It's only become part of my Christmas routine over the past few years. And since I don't have that childhood nostalgia for the movie, the absurdity of the whole plot can get a little much at times but honestly, it's the look of movie that really has made this a staple in our house.

Home Alone is a John Hughes film and the two things Hughes is known for are 80s teen movies and Christmas films. He has a real feel for that seasonal aesthetic and he pulls out all the stops for Home Alone.

The majority of the movie, in particular the family home, is decked out in glorious reds and greens and the result is a beautifully saturated warmth that I just can't get enough of.

If for some reason you're not familiar with Home Alone, the premise is simple, if not a little ludicrous. Kevin McCallister (played by Macaulay Culkin) is a little boy who accidentally gets left home alone when his extended family fly to Paris for the holidays. Not only does Kevin have to learn how to take care of himself while they're gone but he also ends up fighting off a pair of incompetent burglars, The Wet Bandits.

So long as you don't take any of it too seriously, the entire thing ends up being a pretty fun way to spend a couple of hours but as I mentioned, for me it's all about that Christmas vibe and aesthetic that John Hughes captures so well.

This last film was a continuation from the first 4 films and not a spin off like The Marked Ones.

I enjoyed some of the continued story points and quite liked the new characters introduced in this film but was extremely disappointed with the lack of scares.

The little unique twist for this particular movie has to do with the way the "found footage" style of the film was captured by the family.

A older video camera is found by the family near the beginning of the movie and they soon learn that it has the ability to capture paranormal images, meaning that the demon "Toby" is actually seen throughout the movie, which in turn took away most of the tension and atmosphere that was evident in the earlier films.

For me, it was always what you didn't get to see that held the real element of fear and with that taken away, The Ghost Dimension didn't quite cut it compared to the rest of the franchise.

I also took exception to how they chose to end the movie but I've read about an alternate ending that I think sounds a little more satisfying to me.

So that's that. The Paranormal Activity movies are (supposedly) done with and for me they ended on a pretty subdued note.

If you're a fan of the series and haven't checked out the last film yet, I still would. It wasn't horrible it just could have been better in my eyes.

The official trailer for Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life has officially dropped and it looks pretty damn great!

To be honest it's a little odd seeing a Gilmore Girls trailer that's closer to a film trailer and not focusing on one smaller 40 minute story but it was so lovely to see all the old gang back together and nostalgia along is going to make this 4 part series an absolute joy to watch, I'm sure.

If you haven't checked out the trailer yet, give it a watch and get ready for November 25. It's going to be a time.

Out WDW trip is getting seriously close at this point. Only a week and a half to go so I thought I would share my 3 favourite Disney youtube channels with you.

All three of these channels do a mixture of Disney World and Disneyland, two are definitely more on the Disneyland end of things since they live nearby but all three of the channels make me happy to watch.

The first is Disney For 2. This channel is made up of the sweetest couple, AJ and VJ and their happy energy is just infectious. They're so lovely, they appreciate some of the more classic elements of Disney which definitely interests me and they're just a lot of fun to watch.

Next up is The Fab 5207 and this is more of a collab channel between I believe 5 friends that did the Disney College Program together (but don't quote me on that). The videos are pretty varied but all great. I particularly enjoy the recent WDW vlogs by Sarah and Peter. Super magical!

Lastly is Justin Scarred and most people who watch Disney videos are probably familiar with him, he use to have two separate channels but they've all become the same thing over the past year and he's just really great to watch. His are more personal everyday vlogs that just happen to almost always be at Disneyland these days but I really enjoy them. His humour, his sense of history and his love for the parks just make for great viewing.

There are so many other youtubers out there that make Disney content but these are the 3 I've found that I enjoy the most. Definitely worth checking out for some quality content.

To round off our month of Halloween Trivia Tuesday posts, I thought we would finish with a few more silly superstitions. There are seriously a lot of Halloween specific myths and superstitions but I've picked out five of the most ludicrous ones around.

1). If you sneeze 3 times before breakfast your Halloween will be filled with good fortune.

2). If you want to avoid bad luck make sure not to sing before breakfast or cry before dinner on October 31st.

3). If you hear steps behind you on Halloween night, it's not simply just another trick or treater but rather Death himself and if you turn around he will take your soul!

4). If you're single, you should sleep with rosemary under your pillow on Halloween night to ensure dreams of your future spouse.

5). Keeping silent at the dinner table on Halloween night is an invitation for spirits so unless you want some unexpected company, speak up.

There are so many more I could have listed but these were among my favourites. Good old Halloween, brings the crazy out in us all.

So I was just browsing on Modcloth because...fun? And I came across a seriously adorable shirt.

It's a black cat reading not To Kill a Mockingbird but rather, How To Kill a Mockingbird and it's pretty great. To be honest I'd love it more if it was just plain old To Kill a Mockingbird and that kitty just happened to have a real love of literature but it's still an adorable shirt.

The entire Halloween section on Modcloth right now is pretty glorious. Definitely worth a look if you're feeling spendy.

I have been trying to decide what today's Film Friday was going to be about all week but to be honest I'm going through a bit of a movie drought. I haven't seen much recently that stands out apart from The Good Dinosaur which I already spoke about in Wednesday's Disney Diary so instead I leave you with the trailer for Woody Allen's newest offering, Cafe Society.

I love Woody Allen and I love Woody Allen's affinity for the early to mid twentieth century, an affinity I can relate to.

This movie is filled with actors that I have little to no real opinion of but still, I highly anticipate Woody Allen bringing us another look at Old Hollywood glamour with his particular neurotic twist.

a long loved Middle Earth love story between a man and elf is set to be rereleased next year.

The story titled, The Tale of Beren and Lúthien was written after Tolkien's returned from the Somme after WWI and clearly the story and characters therein meant something significant to Tolkien and his wife who have the names of the characters etched on their resting places.

The story has appeared in several form over the year but the new release is set to include never before notes and legends.

The new volume has been edited by Tolkien's son and illustrated by longtime Tolkien illustrator, Alan Lee.

Definitely interested to learn more about this book as the release date quickens.

I finally got around to watching Pixar's The Good Dinosaur (2015) and I'm in love.

The Good Dinosaur tells the story of a little dinosaur, Arlo who lives with his family on a farm. Not far into the film Arlo finds himself separated from his home and the rest of the movie is him trying to find his way back with the help of his little human/critter friend, Spot.

Not exactly the most original of plots, I'll grant you but there is something so special about this film.

In particular the character of Arlo and his friendship with Spot just completely captured my heart.

Pixar knows how to tug on my heart strings and they did so in spades with this film. I sobbed my heart out more than once, let me tell you.

The Good Dinosaur was a 2015 release as was Inside Out. Now, obviously Inside Out made a much bigger splash and while I definitely think it deserves it's success, especially for the originality, I think I actually preferred The Good Dinosaur.

Don't get me wrong, it's not a perfect film. There are a couple of things I would change if I had the chance but in general it was just a really beautiful experience and stays true to the high standard that Disney Pixar has set.

Continuing on with the Halloween trivia this week with a couple of facts about the ever popular, Jack'0'lantern.

Modern custom, dictates that the traditional Halloween decoration be made out of a pumpkin, symbolising the harvest season in the western part of the world but originally the jack'o' lantern looked a little more humble, often being carved from a turnip.

Not only that but it's said the tradition comes from an old Irish legend, having to do with a man called Jack who after cheating the Devil was denied access to both heaven and hell and was doomed to wander the earth, trying to lead people from their true paths with the help of his lantern.

Not sure how much there is to it, but I certainly do love a good legend.